Fast Rising Sun
by Lacey1
Summary: It's set in Scotland and a future fic with some major twists. B/A? B/S? Don't give up hope.
1. En vacance

Fast rising sun  
By lace  
  
alright... i've got nothing and am going no where (ha! nothing new), because really i'm working on another fic but got nostalogic for scotland so. yea. worst of all, i'm playing both sides. no one kill me. i'm trying to find the right shippers to please. without further hesitation or procrastination...  
  
  
En vacance  
Dunnottar Castle was perhaps the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. Perched on the top a sheer sided rock jutting out of the cold, blue North Sea, the ancient Scottish ruins decorated the top along with lush green grasses. Standing on the cliff beside the rock, in fields of wheat rustled by a gentle, salty breezes, she closed her eyes for a second allowed herself to forgot. She let the breeze wipe away everything and just felt the wind and the sun warming all the places it cooled. It was undoubtly the blueset she had ever seen the sky. The ocean's waves rolling onto and off of the sharp rocks below, looking like small peebles from where she stood, calmed every nerve in her body. A trail of minature carved steps led down the hill and up the rock to the gaited entrace. The rest of them had already started the journey down but she wasn't ready to move yet. Soak it all in slowly.  
  
"On days like this I'm glad I'm human."   
  
She snuggled into the crook of his arm, reaching up to straighten his wind blown hair.  
  
"Aren't you glad every day?"  
  
He smiled down at her.  
  
"Every day."  
  
"And night?"  
  
"And night."  
  
She looked at him for a second longer, into his eyes and at his features, tracing them in her mind, catching them in her memory. Then she looked back out over the ocean. Vacation. Buffy couldn't think of the last time she had been on one. Mmmm it felt good. She purred and snuggled closer.  
  
"Cold."  
  
"No."   
  
She smiled. He smiled. It was contagious, seeing her this happy.  
  
"Angel?"  
  
He took a deep breath, dragging out the moment together.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Lets go."  
  
Still touching as if breaking contact would loose dreamlike peace that seemed to surround the two, they moved to catch up to the rest of the scoobies. 


	2. Breathing

Fast rising sun  
By lace  
  
  
Breathing  
Zipping past sheep filled fields and rolling hills with occasional stone farm house, Willow drifted in and out of sleep with the rest of them. She woke as Giles steared the car around a sharp curve in the narrow road. Dozing back off, she caught site of Buffy and the ex-vampire out of the review mirror. Willing herself a wake for a moment longer, she shifted carefully, trying not to move enough to wake Tara who's sleeping head rested on her shoulder. Eyes heavy, she stared at Buffy asleep on Angel and watched Angel's chest rise and fall with slow lethargic breaths. God only knew, they all deserved this much.   



	3. Arrival

Fast rising sun  
By lace  
  
  
Arrival  
It was that time of dusk when everything had an orange glow and the sun cast strange shadows around the trees. For some reason, everything seemed completely still. No one had seen another car for miles, or even signs of civilizan. Slowly, the van packed with seven tourists pulled up the long forested road headed by a Kildrummy Castle Hotel sign. The lavish manor house was ofset by some of the oldest, most complete inland castle ruins in Scotland and beautiful, extensive gardens. More like a movie site, or dream castle, the place seemed almost too good for the scoobies who's past misfortune had lead them to question the peace they had been getting these past years.   
  
Dawn read the brosheur again as the car slowed into the small, packed parking lot. Surely she would be bored here. Wine? Crackers? Slow walks in the garden? Yawn. What was she supposed to do while the rest of them got some "R&R" and rested their "aching backs" or whatever pains they claimed to have.   
  
Grabbing her huge, heavy bag from the trunk and dashing inside past them, the 17 year old brunette caught sight of a cute, teenage boy wandering amilessly about the common rooms. He looked about 18. Forget boredom.   
  
"How much money is this costing again?" she heard Anya asked apprehensivly as the rest of them entered the elaborate hall.  
  



	4. Amoung the shadows

Fast rising sun  
By lace  
  
  
  
Amoung the shadows  
Shortly after dinner the esgusted scooby gang in it's entirety went up to their respective rooms for a long winter's nap. Well, not quite.   
  
Even Angel was asleep. He had taken a liking to keeping human waking hours that Buffy herself rarely kept. At home, right now, she'd be patrolling. The restlessness kept her awake. She was alone.   
  
"Used to that, 'suppose, ey Slayer?"  
  
The sound was so close to her ear and yet the words were barely audible. She felt him, behind her, and she felt every muscle in her body go numb; unable to move, unable to answer, unable to process thoughts. That voice; that beautiful, sultry, taunting, accented voice- was one she thought she'd never hear again. As the moment passed she tried to justify hearing someone so gone... maybe she was just too tired, with jetlag and busy sightseeing days.  
  
"Ignorin' me already I see. Aren't we past that pet?"  
  
Quickly, the small blond slayer regained strength and whipped over her shoulder to find the man she least expected, most hoped to see. And his sly seductive grin on. He looked incredible. The shimmering hair in perfect condiction, blue eyes sparkling that way they always did looking into hers, an all too knowing expression on him. He was wearing black, even the duster that had been his trademark. The thought crossed her mind... It looked as if a day hadn't passed since... well he had been a vampire until...  
  
"You're dead."  
  
"Memory serves me correct, long as ya knew me, always been."  
  
She frowned at his humor.  
  
"Are you undead?"  
  
He held up his arms and inspected himself.   
  
"Nope. Just plain ol' dead."  
  
Buffy looked pained.   
  
"I remember."  
  
He saw the memories flash in her head, her eyes clouded with emotion the slayer rarely displayed so openly. He reached out to touch her cheek, caressing it with his thumb while watching her dark eye lashes fluttering cast shadows around her deep green eyes. It was ice cold against her flesh, sending a small shiver through her body. She took his hand from her face and held it in her own for a moment. Understanding passed between the former mortal enemies.  
  
"The night when you..."  
  
She paused a long, awkward pause, not meeting his eyes. He smiled. Nothing had changed.   
  
"Died. I died, Buffy. Twice actually."  
  
Spike looked almost contemplative, in an anylitcal way, thinking about the occurences.  
  
Buffy knew she should finish her thought but some how she couldn't bring herself to talk about it longer. And then suddenly, defense mood kicked in and she was angry. Here she was, the slayer, on her first vacation in who could remember how long, with her recently human love of her life, trying to raise Dawn as normally as she could, wwwaaayyy past that, that... thing... with Spike. It had to have been atleast six years ago...  
  
"Four."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Four years ago."  
  
"How did you... Can you..."  
  
"'Don't honestly think the powers would send me down 'ere with nothin' up on you, Summers."  
  
Buffy groaned. That was the last thing she needed. A back-from-the-undead-annoying-as-ever-PTB-working-mind-reading-Spike.  
  
"But ya haven't covered all my powers, love," the vamp whined.  
  
Don't wanna know.   
  
"Suppose you don't."  
  
"Why are you-"  
  
"-Here?"  
  
"Please let me finish sentences."  
  
Her words were tipped with a growl. Ahh, it felt good to get her angry again the way only he could. Made him feel alive again. Or unalive.   
  
"Certainly love."  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
He dodged the direct question with remarkable smoothnes.  
  
"How's Peaches treatin' you? It's good ya got away. Scoobies seem all happy here, vacationing and all. Nice place to stay too, wines are extensive."  
  
His ocean blue eyes scanned halls and high ceilings.  
  
"I would love to discuss choice hotels..."  
  
"Oh now, Summers, I'm getting the feeling you wouldn't."  
  
He paused.  
  
"You need me here. Simple as that. Big things coming, slayer. Bigger than before."  
  
Don't spare the details. Ugh. He was turning as cryptic as Angel.  
  
"HEY! I heard that!"  
  
"Good."  
  
It came out way harsher than she intended.  
  
"Why m'I gettin' the feelin' ya didn't miss me at all?"  
  
Ouch.  
  
Buffy didn't let herself think, or she would have thought herself out of it. She ran up to the cold, dark figure and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his back and feeling her fingers barely meet. It was a friendly hug, and although she ment nothing more than that, Spike felt gratified. Even though he knew she loved Angel, and that they were more right for eachother now than ever... he still loved her. Spike stood stiff and surprised, arms dangling at his sides, but as the girl burried her face into his shirt, he let himself envelope her. He tried to remember the last time he held her, when he was alive, or atleast living his unlife.   
  
"Dawn will be so glad your okay..." she mummbled into him, feeling oddly tired. She yawned, unable to fight the feeling overwhelming her. He watched saddly as her eyes closed and she began to breath comfortably.   
  
"There! She's asleep, just whatchya wanted," the peroxide blond whispered harshly upward, respecting the wishes of the PTB as he cradled Buffy to him gently.   
  
He lifted her, bringing the small slayer up to her room unnoticed, laying her next to Angel, an act that still pained him, lifting the thin sheets and covering her pale shoulders. She rolled over and snuggled into Angel's warm body. Just the small motion killed him over and over. In a swirl of black coat he left the two.  
  



	5. What dreams remain

Fast rising sun  
By lace  
  
What dreams remain  
As she woke up, immediatly the experiences of last night flooded into her mind. Should tell Giles asap what Spike had told her...  
  
"Good night sleep?"  
  
Angel! Oh god. Angel was human. She was on vacation. Spike was dead. Xander was married. Oh god! She... forgot? What was last night? A dream. She was dreaming of Spike?? Well, she shamefully admitted, it wasn't the first time.   
  
As the two rose from their bed and headed for the terricloth robes on the closet door, Buffy thought. A dream maybe but slayer dreams had become imfamiously meaninful.   
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Buffy."  
  
He smiled. He did that a lot more now, less brooding, more smiling. And sun bathing. He may have even gotten a tan.  
  
"I had a dream."  
  
He looked at her, waiting for continuation. Suddenly, Angel's smile faded as he understood.  
  
"Slayer dream."  
  
Since turning human, he was less and less happy with how her slayer-activities influenced the near normality of daily life.   
  
And he knew now, immediatly, what had happened. Thats how it was between them, sometimes the connection ran so deep they didn't need to speak.   
  
Angel sensed Buffy's concern.  
  
"Bigger things are coming."  
  
Angel should have probably suggested they go home to train, he still had this vampire strength afterall. And vampire sense. He probably should have said something too, because he sensed something before she ever felt it coming. But it was too late now anyway. And something told him this would be the last break in a long while.  
  
"Enough saving the world. Lets go get breakfast."  
  
Who ever would have thought Angel, mr. heal-my-soul-and-wrong-doings, would say that?! He ran at her, encircled her small body and kissed her on the lips. It wasn't a firey passion that had sometimes overpowered their relationship. It was sweet, tender and filled with love. In many ways, it communicated what was between them better than anything. Sweet. Tender. More real than either had ever thought it could be.  



End file.
